Safety and security minister extends condolences to families of Mariental road crash victims

The minister of home affairs, immigration, safety and security, Lucia Iipumbu, has expressed condolences to the families and colleagues of 14 people who died in a road collision near Mariental on Saturday.

“The ministry stands with you in this time of immense grief and sorrow. We also extend our heartfelt wishes for full and speedy recovery to those who are injured,” Iipumbu said in a media statement on Saturday.

She also expressed gratitude to first responders, medical teams at Mariental State Hospital and officers and officials who provided support at the scene in the aftermath of the collision.

“The ministry further strongly appeals to members of the public to refrain from circulating distressing and sensitive images and videos taken from the accident scene, out of respect for the deceased, the injured and their families,” she said.

Fourteen police officers and Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) officers died in the head-on collision near Mariental.

The crash took place on the B1 road about 10 kilometres from Mariental towards Kalkrand in the Hardap region when a police vehicle and an NCS vehicle were involved in a collision at around 07h00 on Saturday.

A police van involved in the crash was carrying six passengers, including five officers and a civilian, while the NCS vehicle had 13 people on board.

The police said eleven members of the NCS, one member of the Namibian Police and two civilians died in the accident.

Other occupants of the vehicles were injured and transported to a hospital at Mariental. Some NCS members were reported to be critically injured.

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